Creative industries in Washtenaw County add hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy. In the weeks and months to come, host Deb Polich, the President and CEO of Creative Washtenaw, explores the myriad of contributors that make up the creative sector in Washtenaw County.
ABOUT MOLLY ROWAN-DECKART:
Molly Rowan-Deckart is a passionate advocate for the arts and the creative economy, dedicating the last 15 years to work in fine arts, the film industry, festival production and advocacy for increased arts infrastructure. As the Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers, Florida since 2021, she is an unwavering champion of the arts in all forms, including visual, performing, cinematic and digital, tirelessly working to elevate exposure and amplify the robust economic impact they create. With a background as both an artist and producer, Molly possesses a profound understanding of the unique challenges and gratifications inherent in the pursuit of successful creative projects by people of all ages and abilities. Under Molly’s direction, spaces at AFTA – including the new Art House Cinema and the Bloom & Wallace Digital Arts Lab – have been reimagined to provide new pathways for creativity and economic impact. The Alliance for the Arts is becoming the place for Southwest Florida’s creatives.
Prior to joining AFTA, Molly was co-founder and executive director of the Idaho Horror Film Festival, which fosters support and collaboration for emerging filmmakers across the nation. Molly's dedication to the festival earned her the moniker "Horror Queen" from none other than Adrienne King of Friday the 13th fame (though she admits to still harboring a fear of all things that go bump in the night). Molly also served as the first executive director of the Boise Film Foundation, providing filmmaker education, building their popular fiscal sponsorship model to fund innovative film projects while offering mentorship to help them navigate the program's intricacies and lobbying for increased tax incentives for film in western states. Each year, she orchestrated a showcase at the Sundance Film Festival, celebrating films, music and craft spirits originating from the Mountain West.
Molly's ongoing mission is one of prolific collaboration, community building and a profound dedication to the flourishing of the arts.
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TRANSCRIPTION:
Deb Polich: You are listening to 89 one WEMU, and this is creative:impact. I'm your host, Deb Polich. Each week, we meet artists and creatives who choose to live, work and create in Washtenaw County, and they add so much to the vibrancy of this place we call home. Usually, my guests have roots firmly planted in the greater Ann Arbor area, but not this week. This week, we get to welcome someone to town. As listeners have heard, Russ Collins is stepping down after 43 years at the helm of the Michigan and State Theaters. After a national search, the Marquee Arts Board of Directors has named Molly Rowan-Deckart as his replacement. I'm so pleased that Molly is going to join me here today from Florida, where she is packing up and getting ready to move to our town. I think this is her first local media interview, and I'm excited about that! Molly, welcome to town and to creative:impact!
Molly Rowan-Deckart: Thank you so much. Deb! I'm excited to be with you today!
Deb Polich: Yeah! So, first of all, congratulations on your appointment! And I should let listeners know that, because of my close relationship with Russ, you and I have spent some time together already. You've been to town a couple of times now. So, what are a few of the things you want community members to know about you?
Molly Rowan-Deckart: Ooh, that's a good one! Well, I mean, I have a long history working in the arts, so it really is my passion. I've always loved building community through the arts, and I'm very excited to bring my collaboration and creativity to such a wonderful, long-standing, historic organization.
Deb Polich: Well, that's great! But still, here in this day and age, I'm choosing where you want to work is as important as what you will do when you get there. What's appealing about Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County and, frankly, Michigan?
Molly Rowan-Deckart: Well, you know, I'm a little new, but I have, to your point, been up a few times. And it has such a wonderful, culturally rich vibe to it. You can see it! And I've had an opportunity to meet some of the other cultural leaders and have just been very impressed with not only their experience, but what they do in the town. And it's just an educated, lovely city. I'm so excited to be a part of it!
Deb Polich: Well, I'm wondering. Moving to town is one thing, but you're going to be running a fabled organization that, basically in its almost 100 years, has had two directors: Jerry Hoag, who served for 46 years, and Russ Collins, who served for 43. It could be really exciting or quite daunting. How are you feeling?
Molly Rowan-Deckart: Yeah. You know, I was a little intimidated when I read the prospectus and looked at Russ's long history. But I have to tell you. There has been just this lovely transition plan between Russ and the organization and really bringing me into the fold. I've spent now two weeks with Russ off and on. And his history of restoring this theater is just, I think, unmatched. And you can tell how much he loves it, how passionate he is about it. He's extremely well connected. And he's just been so warm and inviting that I really feel much more prepared now to take over.
Deb Polich: So, this absolutely one thing. But what's in your past that you'll be able to apply to running the Michigan and the State Theatre and all the programs that they hold?
Molly Rowan-Deckart: Yeah. Well, you know, I have a history of live events and have run facilities with acreages with physical plants. So, I think I'll bring to the table creative, live programming and then my ability to run an historic venue because there's a lot that goes into thatn too. It's just as big a part as the programming, in my opinion. We've got to keep it vibrant and gorgeous.
Deb Polich: You know, as listeners know, I used to work at the Michigan Theater. That's how Russ and I met. And one of the things he instilled in me right from the very beginning--and it's frankly written into the mission of the organization--is that the mission is to preserve and activate the Michigan Theater for the benefit of the community and the arts. So, the the building itself and now the State Theatre is really the core anchor to that institution. It's what you fill it with that keeps the community connected, because we certainly didn't want to just have a museum. Not going to ask you really if you're ready yet to make any changes, but is there anything exciting you're thinking about bringing here?
Molly Rowan-Deckart: You know, I think, as an organization that also focuses on storytelling through film and events, I think that we could institute some programming that is more....I don't know if the right word is emerging. But people are natural content creators, and I'd love to empower those factions of the community to make stories, tell stories, and then exhibit them. We have these wonderful spaces that I think we can activate in a different way. But the programming's super solid, and I love how the community currently accesses the space. And then, you've got just these Broadway giants that come in like I had the opportunity to watch Bernadette Peters the other night. It's just a little bit of magic!
Deb Polich: And a little bit for everybody. You know, I think that's part of it, too. Our guest is Molly Rowan-Deckart. You are listening to 89 one WEMU's creative:impact. So, Molly, I know you're also engaged with arts and creative advocacy work. And personally, I'm really excited to have another ally come to town to insist in that work here in Washtenaw County and the work that Creative Washtenaw does. Truly though, advocacy is not top of mind for most people seeking a career or life in the arts. In fact, most people who work in the arts don't even think about advocacy. What was your introduction to that kind of work?
Molly Rowan-Deckart: Oh golly! Well, frustration.
Deb Polich: I totally get that.
Molly Rowan-Deckart: Yeah. I got involved with advocacy because I watched a lot of my creative friends leave for places that better supported their talent, and that became a real sticking point for me. So, I became very invested in the concepts and infrastructure that needed to be built to keep creatives in the town that they're educated in, that they've chosen to live in and then really trying to shift civic policy and views around creatives and how really necessary they are to attracting new talent. If you don't have the arts and that vibrant cultural sector, people don't want to live there. And they don't want to stay. So, it really is a symbiotic relationship that has become 20 years of my work.
Deb Polich: Right. And with that, is there any quick answer to success or is it a constant drip, drip, drip?
Molly Rowan-Deckart: It shouldn't be a constant drip, drip, drip. I mean, unfortunately it is. But it does need to be a collective effort between your city, your county, your nonprofit organizations, your higher ed institutions. Everybody has a stake in the game, whether it be education or workforce development or just public art initiatives. It really does take everyone pushing in the right direction to make it work.
Deb Polich: Absolutely! And you've attended, as you said, a couple of the cultural leader sessions that we hold through Creative Washtenaw. And we've talked a lot about the lack of public funding for the arts sector in Washtenaw County. Since you have participated and lived in communities that do invest in public policy, in support of the arts and creative industries, can you tell us the benefits of that, not only just for the people that are working in the field and producing these programs, but for the community as a whole?
Molly Rowan-Deckart: Yeah. I mean, I think art is what makes us human. We're the only animal on the planet that does it. And so, to highlight it in in ways and in programming that is free and accessible to all is important. We don't want the arts to be pay-to-play. And when you go and see a theater production, you might see five people on stage, but there's 30 people behind it. And subsidies for the arts are necessary. And the result of supporting the arts is you get a really vibrant, beautiful society--a place to live. And places that do invest in the arts wind up making the top ten lists for job creation, for growth, for livability. All of these things are interconnected. And Boise, where I come from, is a really good example of when you invest in those things. Boise was a flyover town. Now it makes every top ten list you can imagine.
Deb Polich: Well, we make a lot of top ten lists, too, but our work is still cut out for us, mostly because, currently, we're privately funded by individuals. And we don't have foundations and corporations. This has been a constant drone on creative:impact for me. But anyway, I'm looking forward to having a partner in crime here and to help make things happen. And most importantly, we're looking forward to welcoming you to the Michigan Theater and the State Theatre and to see how you shape it as it moves towards its hundredth anniversary in 2028. I want to say thank you for being on the show and for joining us today!
Molly Rowan-Deckart: Thank you so much, Deb! And thank you for all you've done for impacting the creative sector in Washtenaw County!
Deb Polich: Well, as you know, it's all about love and passion and a mission--personal mission--to make these things move forward. So, I share that with you. Thank you!
Molly Rowan-Deckart: Thank you!
Deb Polich: That's Molly Rowan-Deckart, who, on January 1st, 2025, takes the reins at the Michigan and State Theaters. Find out more about Molly at wemu.org. You've been listening to creative:impact. I'm Deb Polich, president and CEO of Creative Washtenaw and your host. Mat Hopson is our producer. Please join us every Tuesday to meet the people who make Washtenaw creative. This is 89 one WEMU FM, Ypsilanti. Public radio from Eastern Michigan University.
If you'd like to a guest on creative:impact, email Deb Polich at deb.polich@creativewashtenaw.org.
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